Hootie & the Blowfish in Country? Sign Me Up.
Like a lot of folks, I am skeptical of pop stars trying to break through as country artists. But I suddenly find myself in favor of Darius Rucker, lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish, who has a successful solo single on the country charts right now. The band played at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville earlier this week, and out of curiosity and nostalgia, I decided to go. You know, their most popular tunes didn’t sound that far removed from today’s country music - plus, Darius is just fun to watch when he gets to dancing. (I confess, I was dancing a little bit too, but I’m fun to watch for a different reason.)
I remember the first time I heard of Hootie & the Blowfish. I had just started my first college internship at the Nashville Scene. My new editor pulled Cracked Rear View out of a pile, careful not to get the smell on him. “Do you want this?” he asked, more as a gesture to get rid of the thing than to be generous. I figured I might as well take it, and of course, I ended up playing it all the time - and so did 16 million other people. One of my friends heard “I Only Want to Be With You” and commented, “If even the dolphins make him cry, there is seriously something wrong with him.”
Now, so many of those early Hootie fans are raising kids and shopping at Home Depot every weekend. Maybe that’s why Rucker’s “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” - a song about what might have been - is connecting. Hard to say, but if they ever come back to Nashville, you can come with me, and hooooold myyyyyy haaaaaand.
©2008 Country Music Television, Inc., a Viacom company. A division of
Kurt’s Krap says:
Those Dolphins being the Miami Dolphins that make him cry.
I really shouldn’t know that but I do.
flutterfly says:
I hang my head in shame with you Kurt, because I knew that too.
Glad you enjoyed the show. But it’s too bad CMT.com didn’t have you covering Country Thunder. The first CMT.com review we got from there was sloppy and lacked the detail and balanced perspective you usually bring.
country is real so let’s keep it that way says:
Hootie & The Blowfish is a great band and they are actually rock or pop/rock. Like any Kenny Chesney fan knows, rock and country go together like sweet tea and biscuits. Darius is one of the better pop/rock stars gone country, much better than a meat-eating pop star.
Blogger says:
I agree wholeheartedly. Whatever Darius sings is going to be infectious, just like all his Hootie songs were. I can still hear every hit in my head and when I think about adding country instrumentation it only gets better.
Leah says:
I heard a song on the radio that I enjoyed and pretty soon I was humming along. Then I heard it again later on another station…come to find out, it was Darius. I am pleasantly surprised and can’t seem to get enough of it!
Jason says:
Hootie & The Blowfish get a bad rap and are the butt of alot of jokes, but their songs are very catchy and are well-written. They were actually before my time, (which isnt long since I’m 18) but to me Cracked Rear View is a great album
Patrick Holloway says:
Abby says:
I loved Hootie and The Blowfish, I’ve been a fan from the beginning. They did catch a lot of flack from people saying they were this and that, but they were a really good group.
I was very surprised when I heard that Darius was going country. Nothing wrong with that at all! I love his voice! This man can sing anything and not only is he a amazing singer, but a very good song writer. Even though I was sad the group isn’t around, I’m so glad Darius is back! I love the new song and I can’t wait to hear more.
Cricket says:
I had the same “wow this is country” feeling when I went back and listened to Cracked Rear View a few days ago. The lyrics and mood of all those songs are so country. When artists put all of themselves (including their Carolina accents), it’s amazing how versatile the product is.
Lukkibessoni says:
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JEKNet says:
Did you see Darius at the 2009 CMT Awards in Nashville singing his latest single? That guy electrified the crowd and - to borrow from American Idol’s Randy Jackson - Darius can sing! The radio can’t seem to have enough of that song either! Go Darius!